Twenty-five-year-old Egyptian woman dies of bird flu, country's 16th fatality

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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CAIRO, Egypt - A 25-year Egyptian woman has died of bird flu after she apparently contracted the disease from domestic foul, a ministry of health spokesman said Wednesday.

Ola Youness Mohammad, from the town of Beni Soweif, some 200 kilometres south of Cairo, tested positive of the H5N1 strain of bird flu after she was admitted to hospital last Friday, said spokesman Abdel-Rahamn Shahin.

Mohammed died Tuesday night, bringing to 16 the number of Egyptians to have succumbed to the fatal strain since it first appeared in the country last year.

A total of 39 bird flu patients have been registered so far in Egypt, including those who died of the disease, Shahin said.

Mohammed contracted the virus after coming in contact with an infected chicken raised by her family, he said.

Most of the fatalities have been women or girls whose families raise poultry in backyards and who had daily contact with chickens or turkeys.

Egypt is one of the countries most affected by the H5N1 strain outside Asia, where the bird flu outbreak began. The country lies on a main route for migratory birds, which are believed to have brought the disease.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu has hit 45 countries and has killed nearly 200 people worldwide since 2003. It has resulted in the culling of millions of birds.